1. Field
The invention is in the field of evaporative air cooling devices for spraying a fine mist of water into the air to cool the air upon evaporation thereof
2. State of the Art
Evaporative air cooling units spray a fine mist of water into the air which mist removes heat from the air as the water evaporates. Such cooling units are commonly used in commercial applications as well as in personal applications such as cooling units carried by backpackers. The mist nozzles used on such cooling units vary, with one type being the type disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 09/415,343 (Ericksen only) for xe2x80x9cMist Nozzle for Evaporative Air Cooling Unitsxe2x80x9d which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Such evaporative air cooling units are typically not pleasing to the eye to look at. There is a need for an evaporative air cooling unit which is pleasant to look at and which is disguised or wherein the misting nozzles are hidden from view.
An evaporative cooling unit that can be placed on a porch, patio, or beside a pool to supply cooled air to persons and animals in close proximity thereto is disguised as a plant or flower. The unit will be referred to herein as a misting plant.
The misting plant comprises a base, an upstanding decorative structure typically in the form of a plant or flower, a water conduit, and a mist nozzle. The decorative structure is connected to the base which supports such decorative structure in a substantially upright position. The water conduit includes a lower portion attachable to a water supply such as a water spigot or garden hose and which typically extends into the base, and an upper portion which extends through the decorative structure terminating at one or more misting nozzles attached to the decorative structure. When water is turned on, a fine mist is emitted from each misting nozzle to cool the ambient air by evaporative cooling.
In a first embodiment, the misting plant includes a base in the form of a flower pot having a lower portion of the water conduit in the form of an integral piping assembly connectable to a garden hose. The decorative structure comprises an upright water supply tube with an artificial flower with misting nozzle therein attached to the upper end of the water supply tube. A lower end of the water supply tube is connected to the piping assembly of the base to receive water therefrom. Where flexible tubing is used for the upright water supply tube, the tube can include a bendable or malleable stiffener wire disposed within the water supply tube to make it rigid enough to stand up on its own, support a flower at the upper end thereof, and allow bending thereof for a more natural look and to aim the nozzle so as to supply water mist in the desired direction. Further enhancements include a plurality of leaves disposed along the water supply tube, and one or more artificial stalks typically having an internal wire for bending to the desired position with non-misting flowers and leaves also extending from the base.
A second embodiment of misting plant includes a base in the form of a flower pot with a hole in the side thereof. A water conduit in the form of a flexible water supply tube having a lower portion with an end fitting connectable to a garden hose extends through the hole. The upper portion extends upwardly from within the pot. The decorative structure comprises the upper portion of the water supply tube extending from the pot, and a misting flower attached to an upper end of the upper portion thereof. A mist nozzle is operatively connected to such upper end of the flexible water supply tube, typically by means of the misting flower, for emitting a fine spray of water. The second embodiment misting plant can further comprise a bendable stiffener wire disposed in the upper portion of the water supply tube to allow bending thereof for a more natural look and to aim the nozzle so as to supply water mist in the desired direction. Further enhancements include a plurality of leaves disposed along the water supply tube, and one or more artificial stalks with a non-misting flower and leaves also connected to the base.
A third embodiment misting plant includes a base in the form of a flower pot having a lower portion of the water conduit in the form of an integral piping assembly connectable to a garden hose. The decorative structure comprises a hollow, typically blow molded, armed cactus structure, or other molded decorative structure. An upper portion of the water conduit comprises an upright flexible water supply tube having a lower end which is connected to the piping assembly of the base to receive water therefrom. A mist nozzle is operatively connected to the upper end of the water supply tube through the wall of the cactus structure, for emitting a fine spray of water. The third embodiment misting plant can further comprise multiple water supply tubes and mist nozzles and/or misting flowers.
The misting flowers may each comprise a front core, a rear core, and one or more petal disks. In one embodiment, the front core includes a central receiving opening to receive and hold a rearwardly extending stem, and an integral rearwardly extending outer rim. In a second embodiment, the stem is integral with the remainder of the front core. The stem includes an annularly barbed end portion for securely receiving the upper end of the water supply tube. The rear core includes a center portion having a hole therethrough, and an integral frontwardly extending outer rim. The petal disks comprise a plurality of cloth petals connected together by an integral center ring portion having a center hole. Two petal disks are sandwiched between the front and rear cores, the rear core being frictionally retained in position by the stem. The mist nozzle threads into the center portion of the stem in the center of the front core.
Alternatively, the mist nozzle can be of the type which, rather than having external threads, has one or more annular barbs for directly engaging the upper end of the water supply tube. In such a situation, the front and rear cores have a center hole and there is no stem, or alternatively, only a shortened version thereof is present. The mist nozzle and the upper end of the water supply tube are retained by means of a frictional fit with the front and rear cores and stem.